‘We’re not getting money from anywhere’: Punjab pastor addresses guests after I-T raids

The I-T department Tuesday also conducted raids on the premises of another pastor Harpreet Deol who manages the Open Door Church at Khojewala village in Kapurthala. I-T sources said the raids were conducted based on the information that the pastors have been running churches in the name of healing ministries, which are self-styled churches, receiving huge funding from foreign countries.

“I have been depositing income tax since 2017 and I know how much cash one can keep at home. I have been feeding ‘Langar’ to 500 people daily in my ministry and I am aware that one could not keep more than Rs 5 lakh in cash,” he said and added that people are making false complaints against him.

“We have nothing to hide. You all know what I mean to say and whatever has happened is for good,” he claimed in the YouTube video.

Bajinder Singh, who claimed to be a mechanical engineer by profession, said that he was aware of the law. “All my relatives are the seniormost advocates… There are around 18 people from my family who are senior advocates including in the Supreme Court of India and I know all the laws,” he said in front of guests invited for the birthday of his daughter.

He also thanked the people for their prayers and said he was grateful to God that could celebrate the birthday of his daughter.

Also during the day, he addressed a huge congregation at Tajpur where he urged the faithful to contribute 1/10th of their income in the name of God.

IT sleuths said that they are assessing the seized documents from these churches. Weekly religious congregations are the major events at these self-styled churches. Both the churches are ministry churches.